Pneumatic apparatus and process for harvesting fruit

Abstract

Apparatus and process is provided in which a blast of air is impinged on a fruit-bearing limb grouping to cause it to bend, preferably downwardly, and thereafter cause a second blast of air to impinge on the bent-limb grouping in the opposite direction. Advantageously, the two blasts of air move in unison laterally along and around the tree with the first blast being ahead of the second blast and with the spacing between the two blasts being correlated with the rate of transverse movement so that, as soon as the first blast of air passes the limb grouping which is bent down, the second blast of air impinges on said grouping from beneath, in a manner to reinforce the natural rebound of the limb, whereby the normal whiplash effect which takes place on the rebound of the limb grouping is enhanced. In one form of the invention, the means for directing the blasts is stationary except for the transverse movement. In another form, it is adapted to rotate about a common center as a rotating unit, which in turn is adapted to rotate about a second common center which is fixed except for said transverse movement.

I claim: 
     
       1. Apparatus for harvesting fruit from trees comprising first air blast-producing means for causing a blast of air to impinge on at least one fruit-laden limb grouping in a direction to bend said limb grouping, stopping means for stopping said blast of air from impinging on the bent-limb grouping sufficiently that at least one bent limb is free to rebound, a second air blast-producing means for causing a second blast of air to impinge on said bent-limb grouping from the opposite direction, and timing means for causing said second blast of air to impinge on said bent-limb grouping while it is still bent as a result of the first blast of air having impinged thereon, whereby the tendency to rebound of any bent limb in said grouping which is free to rebound is augmented by said second blast of air from the opposite direction. 
     
     
       2. Apparatus of claim 1, in which said timing means is timed so that the second blast of air impinges on said bent-limb grouping at or before at least one limb thereof has begun to rebound, whereby the normal whiplash effect which takes place on the rebound of the limb is enhanced. 
     
     
       3. Apparatus of claim 1, which further comprises means for causing said first blast of air to impinge on successive limb groupings in succession, and means for causing said second blast of air to impinge from the opposite direction on bent said successive limb groupings while said successive limb groupings are still bent as a result of said first blast of air having impinged thereon. 
     
     
       4. Apparatus of claim 3, in which said timing means is timed so that the second blast of air impinges on said bent-limb grouping at or before one limb thereof has begun to rebound, whereby the normal whiplash effect which takes place on the rebound of the limb is enhanced. 
     
     
       5. Apparatus of claim 1, in which said first means is oriented to direct said first blast of air downwardly onto said limb grouping, whereby said limb grouping is bent downwardly. 
     
     
       6. Apparatus of claim 3, in which said first means is oriented to direct said fist blast of air downwardly onto successive said limb groupings, whereby said limb groupings are bent downwardly in succession. 
     
     
       7. Apparatus of claim 1, in which said first and second means are adapted to deliver continuous blasts of air and are mounted for movement in unison across the foliage expanse of the tree, whereby they are directed onto successive limb groupings in succession, said first air blast-producing means being oriented in a plane which is normal to the direction of movement to direct said first air blast in toward the center of the tree in one direction, whereby the limb groupings on which said blast impinges are bent in that direction, and said second air blast-producing means also being oriented in a plane which is normal to the direction of movement to direct said blast of air in toward the center of the tree onto said bent-limb grouping from the opposite direction and from the opposite side, said first means being spaced ahead of said second means a distance so correlated with the rate of cross movement that the second blast of air impinges on each bent successive limb grouping after said first blast of air has moved to an adjacent limb grouping. 
     
     
       8. Apparatus of claim 7, in which the spacing between the first means and the second means is so correlated with the rate of cross movement that said second blast of air impinges on each bent said successive limb grouping at or before a limb thereof has begun to rebound, whereby the normal whiplash effect which takes place on the rebound of the limb is enhanced. 
     
     
       9. Apparatus of claim 8, in which the cross movement is transverse and the first blast of air is directed downwardly and the second upwardly. 
     
     
       10. Apparatus of claim 1, in which said first and second air blast-producing means are mounted to rotate as a rotating unit about a common center which is oriented with respect to said tree so that said air blasts sweep across the foliage expanse of said tree in a direction and at a rate so correlated with the normal period of said limb grouping such that, when the first means acts to bend said limb grouping and move on to an adjacent limb grouping, the second means will have moved in the opposite direction until it is under the bent-limb grouping in time for its blast of air to augment the normal rebound of said bent grouping. 
     
     
       11. Apparatus of claim 10, in which said rotating unit is also mounted to rotate as a unit about a second common center which has the same orientation with respect to said tree as the first common center, such that the movement of the air blast-producing means is impressed upon the movement of the common center thereof, the relative diameters of the first and second circles being such that said air blasts sweep from top to bottom of the foliage expanse of said tree, and the rate of rotation about the two common centers being the same, whereby the air blasts are maintained in the same relative orientation as they traverse the foliage expanse of said tree. 
     
     
       12. Apparatus of claim 11, in which said second common center is mounted on a mobile base adapted to move transversely with respect to said tree such that the movement of each air blast is impressed on the movement of the common center thereof and the resulting epicycle is impressed on said transverse movement. 
     
     
       13. Apparatus of claim 12, in which the relative orientation in said air blast-producing means is such that said first air blast-producing means is at the top of said rotating unit and displaced laterally in the direction of the transverse motion, and the second air blast-producing means is always at the bottom and displaced laterally in the direction opposite to the transverse movement. 
     
     
       14. Apparatus of claim 7, which further comprises a third air blast-producing means for causing a third blast of air to be directed inwardly toward the center of the tree after said second blast of air. 
     
     
       15. Apparatus of claim 14, which further comprises means for permitting said third air blast-producing means to alternate between an orientation in which said third blast of air is directed downwardly and one in which it is directed upwardly, and means for causing said third means to alternate from one position to the other. 
     
     
       16. A process for harvesting fruit from trees which comprises causing a first blast of air to impinge on at least one fruit-laden limb grouping in a direction to bend said limb grouping, stopping said blast from impinging on the bent limb grouping sufficiently that at least one bent limb is free to rebound, causing a second blast of air to impinge on said bent-limb grouping from the opposite direction, and timing said second blast of air to cause it to impinge on said bent-limb grouping while the limb grouping is still bent as a result of said first blast of air having impinged thereon, whereby the natural tendency to rebound of any bent limb in said grouping which is free to rebound is augmented by said second blast of air. 
     
     
       17. The process of claim 16, in which said second blast of air is timed to impinge on the bent said limb grouping at or before at least one limb has begun to rebound, whereby the normal whiplash effect which takes place on the rebound of the limb is enhanced. 
     
     
       18. The process of claim 16, in which, after said first blast of air has been caused to impinge on and bend said limb grouping, it is caused to impinge on and bend successive limb groupings of said tree in succession and, after said second blast of air has been caused to impinge on said limb grouping from the opposite direction, it is caused to impinge on said other limb groupings in succession whle they are still bent as a result of said first blast of air having impinged thereon. 
     
     
       19. The process of claim 18, in which said second blast of air is timed to impinge on said bent-limb groupings at or before they have begun to rebound, whereby the natural whip-lash effect which takes place on the rebound of the limb groupings in enhanced. 
     
     
       20. The process of claim 16, in which the first blast of air is directed to cause said limb grouping to bend downwardly. 
     
     
       21. The process of claim 18, in which the first blast of air is directed to cause said limb grouping to bend downwardly. 
     
     
       22. The process of claim 16, in which said first and second blasts are continuous blasts and are oriented to direct the first blast of air on a first limb grouping to bend the same in one direction and to direct the second blast of air onto the bent first limb grouping from the opposite direction and opposite side, in which said first and second blasts move across the foliage expanse of the tree in unison and are spaced with said first blast ahead of said second blast, and in which the rate of transverse movement is so correlated with the spacing that, when said first blast moves away from the bent-limb grouping and impinges on an adjacent limb grouping, the second blast will have moved to a position to impinge on said bent first limb grouping while it is still bent as a result of the first blast of air having impinged thereon. 
     
     
       23. The process of claim 22, in which the correlation of said spacing and said cross movement is such that said second blast of air impinges on the said bent first limb grouping at or before at least one bent limb thereof has begun to rebound, whereby the normal whiplash effect which takes place on the rebound of the limb is enhanced. 
     
     
       24. The process of claim 22, in which the cross movement is transverse and the first blast of air is directed downwardly and the second upwardly. 
     
     
       25. The process of claim 16, in which said first and second blasts of air rotate as a unit about a common center which is oriented with respect to said tree so that said air blasts sweep across the foliage expanse of said tree in a direction and at a rate so correlated with the normal period of said limb grouping that, when the first blast acts to bend a limb grouping and moves on to an adjacent limb grouping, the second blast will have moved in the opposite direction until it is under the bent-limb grouping in time for its blast of air to augment the normal rebound of said bent-limb grouping. 
     
     
       26. The process of claim 25, in which said rotating unit also rotates as a unit about a second common center which has the same orientation with respect to said tree as the first common center, such that the movement of the air blast-producing means is impressed upon the movement about the common center thereof, the relative diameters of the first and second said circles being such that said air blasts sweep from top to bottom of the foliage expanse of said tree, and the rate of rotation about the two common centers being the same, whereby the air blasts are maintained in the same relative orientation as they traverse the foliage expanse of said tree. 
     
     
       27. The process of claim 26, in which said second common center moves transversely with respect to said tree such that the movement of each air blast is impressed on the movement of the common center thereof and the resulting epicycle is impressed on said transverse movement. 
     
     
       28. The process of claim 27, in which the relative orientation of said air blasts is such that the first air blast is directed downwardly from the top of said rotating unit and is laterally displaced in the direction of the transverse movement, and the second blast of air is directed upwardly from the bottom of said rotating unit and is laterally displaced in the direction opposite to the transverse movement. 
     
     
       29. The process of claim 22, in which a third blast of air is caused to be directed inwardly toward the center of the tree after said second blast of air. 
     
     
       30. The process of claim 29, in which the third blast of air is alternately directed upwardly and downwardly.